


This Slope Is Treacherous (And I Like It)

by cerie



Category: The Newsroom (US TV)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, First Time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-26
Updated: 2013-03-26
Packaged: 2017-12-06 15:17:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/737132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cerie/pseuds/cerie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her resolve has always been next to nothing when it comes to wanting something that’s very bad for her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Slope Is Treacherous (And I Like It)

Of course she knows who he is. Everyone who is anyone in journalism knows who Will McAvoy is, the new rising star of ACN, but Mac’s never had much time for on-air talent. She works with them and often values their input but they have a carefully-crafted image they maintain that doesn’t necessarily coincide with honesty and integrity in journalism. It also doesn’t always coincide with Mac, who is very rarely polished and well put together in her personal life. They tend to make her uncomfortable.

“Hell of a fight you had back there,” Will says, trying in vain to meet her gaze. Mac’s gone outside onto the balcony and is studiously watching the traffic go by in a steady stream of little lights. From this high up, it almost seems like a child’s playset than an actual city. There’s a clarity here that she can’t get on the ground and she’d really prefer to be left alone and to not hash out a very personal, very public fight with her boyfriend in front of a stranger.

When he doesn’t get a response, Will pulls out a pack of cigarettes and a old fashioned silver lighter, cupping his hand against the wind and lighting it. Mac hardly ever smokes but she needs something to steady her and the watered-down cocktail from earlier isn’t doing the trick. She turns a bit and nods toward him. “May I? Could use one right now.”

He grins a bit and pull out another cigarette, his hands brushing hers as he passes it over. She holds out her hand for the lighter and instead he lights it for her. It’s unnecessary and a bit patronizing but Mac finds it sexy in spite of all that and elects not to mention it. It’s only after she’s taken two or three drags that she decides to talk. What’s the harm in it? While they travel in the same circles, Will is entirely out of her league. He’s a safe enough person to confide in.

“It’s not...always like that. Brian and I. We just like to argue.” It’s a bit more than that considering their professional disagreement had turned into Brian actually trying to speak _for_ her and there is little that Mac hates more than being patronized and belittled in front of an audience. He’d stormed off and she’d decided to stay, too angry to go home and too worried that if she were alone she’d end up having sex with him instead of sticking to her guns. For all that she has certain standards, she tends to ignore them where he’s concerned.

“For what it’s worth, you were right. There is definitely a double standard when it comes to women in management. Too assertive and you’re a bitch, too kind and you’re ineffectual. I never understood why someone needed a fucking cock to be an astute CEO but hey, what do I know about it?” 

Mac’s not really sure what she should say in response. She’s always assumed that Will’s the kind of smarmy, arrogant man who feeds on attention and has women fawning all over him, a slick version of the bastard that Brian was tonight. This is something entirely different and a rather-clever analysis of the whole situation. 

“Thank you,” she says simply, finishing the cigarette and stubbing it out against the iron railing. She looks around for somewhere to throw it out when Will holds out his hand. “Can’t remember where I saw the ashtray so I’ll take it. Not like you have pockets in that dress.” No, she doesn’t, and she also doesn’t have sleeves, which means that this impromptu conversation is either going to have to change venues or end abruptly. Mac isn’t sure which of those options she’d prefer at the moment.

“So, you two over or are you going to wait for him to apologize? Anyone who’d make a scene like that probably isn’t worth having.” Mac bristles a little at the unsolicited advice but he hasn’t said anything that she wasn’t already thinking. She shakes her head, the curls in her hair just skimming the top of her bare collarbones. She really needs to get it cut but Brian prefers it a little longer than she does; this is compromise.

“None of your concern,” she says darkly and Will lifts his hands in what looks like surrender. “I didn’t mean anything by it. He’s just an idiot if he’d risk losing a smart, beautiful woman just because he doesn’t want to be wrong.”

It’s the second time he’s shocked her in the span of fifteen minutes and Mac wonders if she’s been wrong about Will McAvoy the entire time.

***

The next time she and Will cross paths is at a retirement party for some executive at AWN. He’s stepping down and Charlie Skinner’s being appointed to the news division and all in all, it’s yet another event that Mac has to agonize about on whether or not she can bring Brian. They’ve been off more than on lately and she’d really rather be done but she’s never had very much self control when it comes to Brian Brenner. Sex tends to work better than the actual relationship portion and she thinks if she can stick to just fucking him, it’ll be better all around.

She isn’t surprised to see Will there. They’ve decided to try him out in primetime instead of keeping him at ten and this party is as much about the launch of his new show, News Night, as it is the executive’s retirement. She is surprised that he’s there without some pretty young thing on his arm and wonders why it is that he’s decided to go stag to his own debut. She wonders when she got so concerned with who Will McAvoy is fucking.

“Alone tonight?’ It’s everything Mac can do not to throw her drink in his face. As is evidenced by the fact that Brian is not here and she is standing alone, the answer to that question should be patently obvious and not require a response. Instead, she puts on her sweetest smile and nods. Will McAvoy had better hope that looks can’t kill.

“It’s really none of your business if I am or not,” she says instead. He laughs and touches her elbow lightly. It’s an overly-familiar gesture but he’s polite and drops his hand after a half second so she doesn’t feel the need to call him out on it. Yet. He’s actually quite nice looking in his tux and Mac sees the flash of diamonds embedded in what suspiciously appears to be a set of platinum cufflinks. They really live in two different worlds.

“I was just asking so I didn’t get decked when I asked you to dance,” Will says, giving her an infectious smile. Her anger melts a little and she puts her drink down on a nearby table; she hasn’t danced the entire time and her mouth’s been set in a line so hard that she thinks she’s given herself a headache from just how tense she’s been. Dancing will be nice. It’s just a dance.

The song is slow and Will slips his arm around her carefully, almost as if he’s afraid she’ll bite. She’s stiff for a moment but after a few measures she relaxes and lets him lead, pillowing her head on his shoulder while his hand is a comforting weight against her lower back. She likes the way they fit together. She likes that he actually knows how to dance and doesn’t just stumble over his feet and step on hers.

When the song ends, Mac is reluctant to pull away but she catches a glimpse of Brian out of the corner of her eye and knows it’s for the best. He’s dressed for the occasion, even if he hasn’t shaved, and seems to be making a beeline toward them. Mac steps out of the circle of Will’s arms and turns to face Brian, a wide smile on her face and her voice pitched unnaturally high. Everything’s fine. Nothing to see here.

“You could have fucking called, you know. I would have come. Now I look like an asshole.” Brian grips her wrist in such a way that, while not painful, is very clearly possessive. Mac really, _really_ doesn’t want a scene in front of everyone and she shakes her head, stalling for time while she thinks of what the most diplomatic thing to say is. She’s always been very good at being diplomatic when the occasion calls for it; it’s genetic. She’s saved from a response by Will, whose words are carefully meted out and just this side of a hiss.

“Pretty sure you’re doing that right by yourself. MacKenzie obviously didn’t want to ask you to this event because she was afraid you’d embarrass the shit out of her in front of people she works with and she, unlike you, actually cares about being a professional. I’m sure she can speak for herself, so I’m done now, but if you ever fucking lay a finger on a woman in front of me again you’re going to be eating through a straw. Got it?”

Mac is ashamed to admit to herself that being defended does something for her but the overwhelming reaction is anger. Anger at Brian, for making a scene in front of her colleagues at an important event and anger at Will McAvoy for taking it upon himself to play white knight in a situation he shouldn’t even be involved in.

“Both of you, stop. Brian? Leave. Will? I can speak for myself, thank you very fucking much, and if you ever try to put words in my mouth again I will introduce you to the pleasure of my fist against your nose.”

Both of them seem shocked at just how visceral her reaction is. Mac goes home alone.

***

The day that she gets the call from Charlie Skinner that she’s been promoted to executive producer of News Night is the same day that she actually, finally, breaks it off with Brian. She rekeys her apartment and decides that the new job and the newly-single status are just the clean break she needs to change everything. She’s feeling confident about herself in a way that she hasn’t in ages.

When she gets to work it’s a little early, on account of wanting to unpack her new office and get everything just so. She lets herself in and she’s shocked to see a huge bouquet of flowers on her desk, an arrangement of orchids and lilies that is beautiful and obviously from a florist and not just what you can find in the grocery department at 5:00 PM on Valentine’s Day after everything else has been picked over. It’s not like Brian to send flowers but they did have one hell of a fight and Mac’s never actually told him it’s over before, so maybe he just thought it’d be a good idea to go above and beyond.

She plucks the card from the flowers, surprised when it’s heavy linen and not cheap paper. She opens it and her lips move soundlessly as she reads:

> Congratulations on your first day. Looking forward to doing the news with you, W.

She’s never had a man send her flowers before quite like this and she wonders just what in the hell kind of flowers Will McAvoy sends to someone he’s actually dating if this is what she gets as his producer. She decides that’s a dangerous path to tread and New Year, New MacKenzie doesn’t have time or inclination for a fantasy about Will McAvoy.

She doesn’t say anything about the flowers aside from a quiet “thank you” just before they go on the air and Mac’s actually really proud of the show they’ve put together. Will seems to value her input and put it to use and he’s a dynamo on the air in a way she hadn’t really expected of him. He’s smart and quick and unwilling to compromise when he knows that he’s right. Mac knows they’ll probably end up butting heads professionally at some point but she doesn’t particularly mind it. Will seems to respect her in a way that hasn’t always been easy to come by in her career.

After the show, she takes a moment to inhale the fragrance of her flowers one last time before locking up and is a little embarrassed when she looks up to see Will standing in the doorway. His tie’s undone and he gives her a little smile, warm and inviting. She knows she ought to be wary but she isn’t and her smile is just as warm in return.

“Want to go get a drink? To celebrate?” Mac shakes her head. While she’d really like to, she really doesn’t need the stigma of fucking her boss when this is the biggest career move she’s ever made. She wants to know she earned this because of her brains and talent and not because of what’s between her legs, no matter how attractive she finds Will McAvoy and how very much she’d like to go have a drink with him.

“It’s best if we don’t, Will. It’s different for me than it is for you and you know that. I don’t want anyone thinking I traded sexual favors for this position.”

Will’s face falls a little and he leans slightly against the doorframe. She knows he can be very persuasive and Mac really hopes that he’s not going to push the point; she has come to respect him a great deal and had hoped that was mutual. Pressuring her into something she’s not comfortable with isn’t really the path he wants to take if he wants that to continue, at least on her end.

“It’s just a drink between colleagues, MacKenzie.” That reassures her some and she nods once. If that’s all it is, she’s more than happy to oblige him and she gathers up her purse so she can leave. She has to walk past him to exit her office and when she does, his voice is soft and ruffles her hair a bit.

“Anyone who doesn’t think you earned this on merit is fucking blind and stupid. I asked for you personally because of your resume and the quality of your work. The fact that I’d really like to go out with you is immaterial to whether or not I think you’re capable of running this show. I don’t think dating and working together has to be mutually exclusive.”

While he’s very clearly demonstrated an interest, Will doesn’t pressure her further than that and Mac is grateful. Her resolve has always been next to nothing when it comes to wanting something that’s very bad for her.

***

It takes a few weeks and a good deal of persistence on Will’s part but Mac finally concedes to go out with him. She’s been nominated for a Peabody and while she doesn’t think she’s going to win it, it’s an honor all the same. Will asks her out and she accepts, which has them both entirely too giddy for the rational, poised adults they’re supposed to be. Mac’s told herself she isn’t going to sleep with him tonight but she wears black lace underwear and impossibly-high heels anyway. She might as well hedge her bets just in case.

He takes her to some fancy new fusion restaurant where the prices are sky high and the portion sizes are miniscule. They drink quite a lot of very expensive champagne and take a car back to his place, which is in an address that Mac is fairly certain she’s never going to live at. His world is completely different from her own and it’s never been more evident than right now. She shrugs out of her coat and drapes it across an expensive leather sofa before drawing close to Will again. She dips her head down when he wraps his arms around her and he reaches between them to tip up her chin; his fingers are impossibly warm against her skin and she knows she’s going to give in to whatever he wants. Resistance is apparently nonexistent.

“I would really, really like to kiss you, MacKenzie.” The fact that he asks is sort of novel and gentlemanly in a way she’s never really experienced. Most of her relationships have revolved around fucking and barely tolerating one another outside of it. Will comes to her with a respect that she’s found lacking in other men and she can’t help but tell him yes. She barely has the word out of her mouth before his lips are on hers, careful but no less thorough because of it.

She curls her fingers against the soft cotton of his shirt while Will’s find the zipper of her dress, slowly tugging it down and chasing the skin he finds with his fingertips. Mac pulls away slightly to step out of her dress and she’s barely cleared the puddle of fabric before Will’s hands are all over her again.

She’s just buzzed enough that everything feels a little hazy and they stumble their way to his bedroom, leaving a little trail of clothes behind them. Her bra hits the ground just as soon as they cross the threshold and Will cups her breasts in his hands as he backs her up to the bed. “Oh my God,” she whispers, feeling all the blood rush to her head. She feels hot and knows she’s blushing, bright red patches against her otherwise-pale skin.

Will chases his hands down her skin with his mouth and sucks a dark mark against the inside of one thigh before pressing his mouth against her and rolling his tongue lightly against her clitoris. He takes his time with it and Mac wonders if the patience is because of the alcohol or if it’s just how he is normally. She’s never been with a man that’s older than her; she’s always dated men who were her contemporaries or quite a bit younger. Perhaps that’s been the problem all along.

She doesn’t bother to check her reactions with him. Mac is aware that she’s loud and impossibly vocal when it comes to getting what she wants in the bedroom and it seems to spur Will on, driving him to do better. When she comes, he doesn’t stop and pushes her into into another orgasm; it’s softer, but no less intense on her part. When she finally comes down, Mac laughs and tugs at him.

“Come _here_ ,” she demands, rolling them so he’s flat on his back and she’s straddling his thighs. Will passes her a condom and she makes quick work of it; the sharp draw of his breath is enough to tell her that she’d better not fuck around anymore if she wants to make this worth his while. Mac’s fine with that. She’s never liked dancing around what she wants and this is no exception. She slides down on him and Will’s hand grips her hips. She covers one of his hands with her own and rides him, pleased when he finally gives over and comes with a muffled curse and her name.

“Jesus _fuck_ , MacKenzie,” he manages, hips falling back to the bed. His fingers against her skin are soft, exploratory, and Mac is content to let him touch her for a little while before she moves off him. When she does, she presses a kiss against the corner of his mouth and shifts so that her head is pillowed on his chest. Will moves his hand to her hair, lightly stroking through sweat-damp strands.

“Actually, Jesus is against fucking. That’s why I’m agnostic. I have entirely too much fun sinning.” Will laughs and holds her close. Mac hears her phone ring in the other room and tries to decide if it’s worth answering.

It isn’t.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to see how Mac and Will hooked up, so, I wrote it. There's not much more to it than that :)


End file.
